Wouldn’t it be easier if your staff learned how to best work with your personality rather than you trying to learn how to work with each of their personalities?
This thought has crossed my mind more than I’d like to admit.
When you lead a team, you lead a diverse group of personalities. You’ve probably got some introverts and extroverts. Processors and reactors. Organized and not so organized. Agreeable and challenging.
It’s a good thing to have a diversity of personalities. A diverse group helps ensure better decisions are made via varying perspectives. You never want diversity of culture or character, but some variety of personalities is helpful.
Helpful, yes, but not always easy. You’d probably get more done if everyone on your team had your personality. And get it done more quickly. And you’d certainly understand your team members more! But that isn’t what’s best for your organization, department, or team.
So How Do You Lead a Team of Diverse Personalities?
The lazy leader expects (or demands) that each personality acquiesces to their nature. After all, it’s much simpler for ten people to learn the personality of one leader than the one leader attempting to learn ten personality types. That’s infinitely more difficult. Or at least ten times more difficult.
It’s also lazy.
Leaders get the best from their teams when they learn to work with each team member the way they best work. Leading people requires that we know people. That’s why we should master the art of reading people before leading people.
How can you do this better? I’m glad you asked.
Here Are Some Strategies to Better Understand Who Is on Your Team and How You Can Better Lean in Their Direction:
Learn About Their Personalities
I love utilizing personality profiling systems within teams. Not to reduce people to a collection of numbers, letters, and colors, but these systems provide insight into prototypical behaviors, motivations, and fears. Pick a profiling system and allow each team member to discover more about themselves. Then, review their findings with them, allowing each staff member to explain what they believe is true and what might not be as relevant. One more thing: Ask them how YOU, as a leader, can better understand how to work with THEM based on these findings.
Study Each Team Member
Whether in meetings or the hallway, pay attention to your team members. What brings them energy? What brings them down? Do they respond or react? The more you study each person, the better you’ll be able to lead them individually.
